


Settling In

by orphan_account



Series: Pre-Series [1]
Category: The West Wing
Genre: Angst, Bartlet's first campaign, F/M, Fluff, Pre series
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-04-28
Updated: 2014-04-28
Packaged: 2018-01-21 03:03:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,391
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1535150
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Josh and Donna don’t take long to get comfortable with each other. Pre-series during Bartlet’s first campaign.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Settling In

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first time writing anything in the WW world or between these two so I'm trying it out. Please let me know what you think.

The first time he did it, she almost fell out of her chair. It was only three days after she convinced Josh to let her work for him and they were still figuring out how to navigate around each other. Apparently the learning stages were over.

“Donna!”

The boy could bellow, that much was clear. Once she steadied her breath, she looked around the small campaign headquarters. Everyone was watching her, looking unsurprised by Josh’s call. Donna stood slowly, walking to his door with a quizzical look.

“You know I’m two feet outside of your office. You could say my name at a normal human level and I would probably…”

“I need the polls from two days ago.” Josh said, digging through his messy desk.

Donna frowned at him.

“You already have the polls from two days ago.” she reminded him.

“Well I can’t find them so I need another copy.” Josh sighed, running a hand through his hair as he sat back. “And a cup of coffee wouldn’t go unappreciated.”

She turned away, going to the community files where she knew there would be a copy of the polls. Once Donna found it, she walked to the copier and made him his third copy of the papers.

“Give as good as he does.” CJ muttered, walking past her.

“What?” Donna said.

The other woman looked over her shoulder with an innocent face.

“What?” CJ replied, her eyes showing a hint of amusement before she moved on.

Donna frowned after her, wondering what she meant as she walked back to his small office. Just as she reached the door, she glanced over at the coffee maker in the break room. Donna went over CJ’s words in her head before smiling slightly as she walked into the office.

“Here you go.” Donna said.

She set the papers on the desk where they were destined to be lost in the chaos. Josh was on the phone but he covered the speaker with his hand, reaching out to take them with his other hand.

“Great.” He said simply, scanning them.

Donna turned to walk out, pausing at the door when Josh called after here.

“There’s, uh… there’s no coffee.” He said, confused.

She looked back, a smile playing on her lips.

“Look at that.” Donna said, feeling proud of herself. “Coffee is ten feet that way.”

She pointed helpfully before walking to her small desk. Because she wasn’t in there, she missed the surprised yet amused look on Josh’s face as he figured out that having an assistant was going to be much different than he thought.

* * *

 The first time she did it, Donna almost gave poor Sam a heart attack.

“Josh!”

There was a crash from within the office followed by the sound of papers falling.

“Yeah.” Josh grumbled from inside.

“You can go.” she nodded at Sam, grinning at him.

Before he reached the door, Josh appeared in the way.

“I’m thinking we should get you two phones with intercoms. It might be a good investment.” Sam said thoughtfully.

Josh and Donna shared a look, similar thoughts going through their heads.

“We’re fine.” They said at once, not willing to give this up even though it had just started.

* * *

 The first time she couldn’t bring herself to do it, celebrations were going on around her. Donna walked through the people numbly, trying to get to Josh so that she could tell him. Her conversation with Rebecca Lyman, his mother, replayed through her head as she tried to think of how to tell him. When she saw him embracing Leo with excitement, her heart fell even more. Josh’s face went from jubilant to devastated in once second as she spoke the words and he understood what they meant.

“Josh.” Donna sighed in a quiet voice, unsure of what to say to him at that moment.

Usually, they had no shortage of words to throw at each other but this wasn’t a usual situation. His father had just died. Instead of saying anything, Donna simply pulled him into a hug and met Leo’s eyes over his shoulder. The older man looked concerned as Josh’s arms wound around her back and he held her close. He buried his face in her hair.

“My mom?” he whispered.

“She wants you to call her.” Donna said, pulling away and slipping his phone into his hand. “You should go, Josh. She needs you.”

He nodded, looking as though he really couldn’t process exactly what was going on.

“Yeah, I’ll uh… I’m going to…”

Josh didn’t finish, brushing past her as he dialed his mother’s number and headed to get his backpack. Donna looked after him before turning to Leo, who was walking up to her.

“What happened?” he questioned warily.

Donna knew that she wasn’t the best person to break this to Leo. He was an old friend of Josh’s dad and he deserved to hear it from someone better but she knew that Josh wouldn’t be available to give him the news.

“Josh’s father just died.” She said solemnly.

“My God.” Leo murmured, looking shocked.

Donna nodded in agreement. They both looked back at once, saddened to see Josh hurrying out by himself as he talked to his mother on the phone as quickly as he could.

“I should go tell the Governor.” Leo said, backing away.

“Do you want me to tell them?” Donna nodded at CJ, Sam, and Toby as well as the other staffers.

He shook his head.

“Let them celebrate.” Leo said quietly before slipping away.

Donna stood among the others, feeling less than willing to celebrate when she felt so helpless to do anything. After a few minutes, she heard a voice speaking quietly.

“Donna.”

Her head turned and she saw Josh there, ready to go with his backpack on his shoulder and a broken look on his face. He tilted his head to the door before turning to walk through it himself. Donna followed him, stepping out into the night. She shivered against the cool air.

“Take any messages for me and give them to me when I land. Make sure that Sam and Toby don’t forget about the speech for the thing. The press will get wind of this and I don’t want any of them bothering my mom. Tell CJ.” He listed off, waiting for a cab on the almost empty street.

Donna was nodding along with him, committing the tasks to memory. She knew that it was easier for him to focus on this rather than what would be waiting for him when he landed in Connecticut.

“If I’m not back before the next polling numbers come out, I’ll find a way for you to fax them to me.” Josh said.

“You should concentrate on your family, Josh.” Donna said, breaking through his concentration.

He looked over at her, an indecipherable look on his face.

“I don’t have much family.” Josh admitted, taking a deep breath after letting the realization settle in his mind. “I really just have my mom.”

Donna shook her head.

“Well that’s not true.” She said.

He let out a scoff that wasn’t annoyed as much as it was doubtful.

“It’s not?” Josh questioned.

Donna glanced over her shoulder at the celebrations that they could see through the window.

“If they knew, they would want to get on that plane with you.” she said confidently.

Josh looked back at them too, the corner of his mouth ticking upwards when he knew that she was right.

“Is there anything else I can get you before you go?” Donna asked.

He looked at her, considering it for a moment.

“I wouldn’t say no to a cup of coffee.” He said.

Donna grinned at him.

“You’re on your own there, Joshua.” She said, turning to walk back inside.

“Donnatella!” he called after her, raising his voice slightly.

She turned back with the door halfway open, a questioning look on her face. Josh didn’t say anything. He just stared at her for a few moments and she didn’t feel all that uncomfortable with it. A cab pulled up, waiting for Josh to climb inside. He didn’t even look at it. Unspoken communication passed through them and she knew what he was trying to say.

“Say hi to your mom for me.” Donna said before walking through the door.


End file.
